Brussels, 26/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Joe Borg gave a very positive reaction to the outcome of the 12th North Atlantic Fisheries Ministers Conference which was held in Narsaq, Greenland, on 20-23 June, declaring: “The tangible progress achieved in the past year against illegal fishing in the North Atlantic is very encouraging…such progress is due to stronger international cooperation by all the parties concerned”. This conference brought together fisheries ministers and their representatives from Canada, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway and Russia. A representative from the European Commission also attended on behalf of the EU.
Ministers from these countries said that they were pleased with the progress accomplished in the fight against illegal fishing. A press release published after the conference stated that, fishing boats involved in such illegal activities “are being expelled from the North Atlantic”. It also explained that some pirate boats had been intercepted and destroyed thanks to enhanced controls in the North Atlantic. Other boats involved in illegal fishing are banned from entering ports and are no longer allowed to fish.
In November 2006, the North East Atlantic Fisheries Convention (NEAFC) adopted a new state controlled port inspection system, which entered into force on 1 May (EUROPE 9424). The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) and the NEAFC mutually recognise each others' black lists (boats guilty of illegal fishing). Boats on NEAFC black lists are therefore denied entry into all European ports. Bilateral agreements and cooperation between different regional organisations mean that ports in North Africa, North America, Japan and Korea are also closed to boats on these black lists.
Future initiatives. Ministers decided to take action on: preventing illegal fishing (false declarations or non-declarations of catches), increased sanctions against offenders, implementation of a reliable fishing product traceability system (“from the sea to the consumer”), launch study on how to help authorities dismantle criminal networks and participate in UN efforts to establish minimum international inspection standards (state port's and country's flags). The next conference of North Atlantic fisheries ministers will be held in an EU country in 2008. (lc)